Waste management and recycling of recovered paper for industrial, commercial and business customers and for public institutions.

15 years of experience in the market

AP-Concept GmbH & Co. KG is accredited by Bundesverband Sekundärrohstoffe und Entsorgung e.V. (bvse) as a certified waste management facility, in accordance with section 56, paragraphs 2 – 4 of the Law on Closed Cycle Management and Waste (KrWG), and is an authorised intermediary for the transferral of waste products.

Our business approach and corporate philosophy focus on creating integrated processes for waste management and the targeted recycling of recovered paper – primarily in paper mills in Germany.

We work with recovered paper sourced from the public sector as well as from industries and businesses. Most of our materials come from Germany or from paper collection points in neighbouring European countries.

AP-Concept UK Ltd. is responsible for operations in the United Kingdom.

Thanks to our shareholder structure, we are able to offer nationwide solutions for all recovered paper and paper recycling processes (technology, equipment, logistics, processing, material flow management, pricing), in both the private and the public sector. Few companies in Germany offer comparable services in combination with such a wide portfolio of paper recycling companies as does AP-Concept GmbH & Co. KG.

We will be delighted to help you find a cost-efficient and environmentally-friendly solution. Please use our contact form for your enquiry.

Value creation on behalf of our customers

Recycling of recovered paper and creating value

Cutting costs through integrated processes

Elimination of external interim steps in the recycling process

Demand-based recycling of recovered paper and exploiting the potential of value creation

Trans-regional flexibility in waste management thanks to an extensive portfolio of partners

Less price volatility thanks to integrated material flow management

Transparent pricing structure in line with the market, medium and long-term contracts

500000 tonnes

Sales volume

€60 million

Turnover

Approx.40

Employees

100000 tonnes

Sorting capacity

Sustainability

There is no one-size-fits-all solution when it comes to sustainable paper recycling strategies. Nor is there a universally accepted definition for the word "sustainable". The approach taken by AP-Concept GmbH & Co. KG is based on the realisation that a system is only sustainable in the long term if it takes every aspect of the cycle into account. But each case needs to be analysed individually to determine how this actually works in practice. Working in the closed loop recycling industry, we include "upcycling" and "downcycling" options for recovered paper in our environmental considerations.

If you would like to develop a comprehensive sustainability strategy and paper recycling cycle for your recovered paper, then please contact us.

Services

Based on your requirements, we will develop a customised strategy for waste management, resource utilisation and sustainable practices. In commercial terms, we are completely independent. Thanks to an extensive network of partners down the entire value chain, we are able to find solutions to location-specific restrictions.

We develop a disposal strategy which is tailored to your specific requirements. We help you consider your approach to resources and help you to develop efficient, innovative and sustainable strategies. In commercial terms, we are completely independent. Thanks to an extensive network of partners down the entire value chain, we are able to find solutions to location-specific restrictions.

Based on your individual requirements, we offer you the most cost-efficient and environmentally friendly solution for disposing of and recycling your recovered paper. Thanks to an extensive network of partners down the entire value chain, we are able to find solutions to location-specific restrictions. Please contact us for more details.

Our completely automated, multi-level recovered paper sorting facility features a 60m long sorting line. Here, recovered paper which has been collected from domestic households is sorted according to various types. Foreign materials are identified automatically by the sorting line during the process, and removed in several stages from the material flow.

Any paper which does not conform to the pre-defined material flow (the quality standard to be achieved by the end of the sorting process) is siphoned out (negative sorting) and stored in one of several bunkers. From here, the various quality grades pass along conveyor belts to a horizontal baler.

During the multi-level sorting process, machines automatically separate large pieces of cardboard (coarse screen) from small pieces (fine screen), and graphic paper from non-graphic paper (PaperSpike). The quality of printed and coloured paper is detected via optical infrared sensors and extracted from the material flow by means of compressed air.

During the entire sorting process, the material flow has to be rectified and adjusted repeatedly so that it is conveyed through the various machines at the appropriate speed. The entire plant operates automatically via sensors, level sensors and flexible motors.

We also use a number of additional processes to sort all other recovered paper according to quality. Depending on the requirements of the paper mill where it is to be recycled, this is then compressed into bales or delivered in bulk.

On request, we will be happy to provide you with all types of containers for collecting, storing and transporting your recovered paper. We offer independent advice and have gained much experience over the years with reusable bins and all types of containers, including compaction containers. On request, we will be happy to take care of all your container management needs. Please contact us for more details.

We also have many years of experience through numerous projects with regards to installing, operating and financing complete extraction systems and compaction systems for industrial use. Here again, we'll be happy to develop a manufacturer-independent strategy which is tailored to your requirements. Please contact us for more details.

In conjunction with a shareholder company, we offer full and professional shredding services, Germany-wide. Documents are shredded in accordance with the requirements of the Federal Data Protection Act and all relevant DIN standards. All sites and processes are also ISO-certified accordingly. Please contact us for more details.

At our plant in Glückstadt, we have two reel splitters (guillotines) for cutting paper reels of up to 2.5m in width and 1.6m in diameter. From here, the material can be channelled directly into the paper recycling production, thus saving additional and unnecessary transport costs after completion of the service. Please contact us for more details.

We have access to a wide network of graphic and non-graphic paper recycling mills across Europe. We can help you to pinpoint "up-cycling" potential and whether this makes economic sense. Besides offering classic disposal services, we can also help you market leftover stock and damaged paper, whether as reels or bales, and whether loose or on pallets.

For our transportation services, we use the vehicle fleet of one of our shareholders. Thanks to our computer-assisted network management, we are able to create synergies by making use of external service providers. This enables us to optimise transportation both nationally and internationally. Reducing load and distance in this manner not only saves costs, but also helps to keep our carbon footprint to a minimum. Where necessary, we can also integrate and optimise the return of empty containers into our planning system. Please contact us for more details.

Business model

Since 2001, the focus of our business activities for disposing of, treating and recycling recovered paper has been on handling material flows efficiently and optimising value chains to make them as resource-friendly as possible. Since 2012, AP-Concept UK Ltd. has operated as a waste management service provider for businesses and commercial customers in the UK.

Together with and on behalf of our customers and partners, our sustainable strategies play a major role towards protecting the environment.

History

2001

AP-Concept GmbH & Co. KG is founded as a joint venture for manufacturing recycled paper and disposing of recovered paper.

2007

The company transitions from trading to manufacturing

2009

Steinbeis Papier ­Fabrik Glückstadt shares are taken over by Steinbeis Holding Munich

2011

New sorting facility opens, with an annual capacity of 56,000 tonnes The company builds and moves into new offices

2012

AP-Concept UK Ltd. is founded in the UK as a trading company and waste management service provider for commercial customers

2014

Construction of a third building to extend the sorting facility, increasing annual capacity to 75,000 tonnes

2015

Sorting facility expanded to an annual capacity of 112,000 tonnes, and installation of NIRs (near-infrared devices).